Quail Hollow – Page 6 – Syndication Server

‘He was in good spirits:’ Rickie Fowler watched first round of Masters with Tiger Woods

Rickie Fowler: “It’s still pretty cool to get to go hang out and spend time with Tiger.”

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Rickie Fowler didn’t earn an invitation to the Masters this year, his prolonged struggles inside the ropes leading to his absence from Augusta National for the first time in 11 years.

But he didn’t miss the Masters altogether.

Fowler’s disappointment in missing his first major championship since the 2010 U.S. Open was tempered a bit when he watched the first round of the first major of the year with five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods, who was housebound in Florida recovering from multiple right leg injuries sustained in a single-car crash in the Los Angeles area in February.

“Between (the Masters) and the British Open, those are two tournaments that I love to watch. Typically I’m in them and I’m watching either the morning or afternoon wave when I’m not playing, so it was a little different in that sort being at home,” Fowler said Thursday after shooting a 1-under-par 70 in the first round of the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow.

Wells Fargo: Leaderboard

“I did go over and watch a little bit with Tiger, so it was fun to be able to do that, talk about the course. We were watching and saw just how firm and fast and kind of such a fine line how Augusta can be. We were definitely both very disappointed that we couldn’t be out there to experience it because it’s very few times where you do get to see Augusta that firm and fast.”

Fowler said Woods was in good spirits. Justin Thomas had been over to Woods’ palatial estate a few times and told Fowler that Woods was doing fine.

“He’s like, honestly, he was a lot better than I expected,” Fowler said. “So that was good to hear. Then to get over there and see him getting around, and now you guys have seen some pictures that he’s posted and he’s out and about a little bit, he was in good spirits. Because early on it was more him having to keep his leg up for inflammation, couldn’t be walking around on crutches that much, although I’m sure he wanted to because he didn’t want to just be laid up.

“It was good to see him. Hung out and spent some time with (Woods’ son) Charlie, and (daughter) Sam was there for a little bit before she had to go to soccer practice. I think his main focus and concern is getting back to being a dad, go play golf with Charlie, push him around, and be able to run around with Sam. But his golf clubs are right there in the living room and he can stare at them all he wants.”

Fowler values his friendship with Woods. Fowler grew up watching Woods dominate the game, especially in the 1997 Masters and then the early 2000s. He watched Woods win the 2008 U.S. Open on a broken leg. And so many more. And then Fowler started playing against Woods starting in 2009.

“Someone that we’ve all looked up to,” Fowler said. “Whether you’re younger, older, whatever, just to see what he was able to accomplish, especially through those early 2000s, even after coming back from different injuries, winning on a broken leg to coming back after a big layoff and winning the (2019) Masters. We all pull for him.

“Getting to be around him, be around him on a bit more of a personal level and getting to know him, especially over the last really five, six years, you know, we try and push him as hard as we can, but at the same time it’s still pretty cool to get to go hang out and spend time with Tiger.”

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Rory McIlroy’s familiar assets help craft a new strategy: ‘I’ve neglected my strengths a little’

McIlroy, who turned 32 Tuesday, hasn’t been himself since golf returned last June after a 13-week break due to COVID-19.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Rory McIlroy is close to being Rory McIlroy again.

The former world No. 1 and four-time major champion thinks he’s emerging from the fog of the past 11 months, a dreary stretch that prolonged a winless span nearing 550 days and had him making major swing changes that threw him off-kilter that eventually moved him to seek help.

McIlroy, who turned 32 Tuesday, hasn’t been himself since golf returned last June after a 13-week break due to COVID-19. He likened playing in front of vacant galleries to nothing more than playing practice rounds and was challenged to maintain focus and find the proper intensity to play well.

Then he started chasing Bryson DeChambeau, who bulked up and sped up to become of the one game’s longest hitters and the U.S. Open champion. McIlroy’s extra time spent on speed and power drills proved damaging, however.

Since golf’s return, McIlroy, who hasn’t won since the fall of 2019, has just six top-10s in 21 starts, missed the cut in the Masters and Players Championship, and fallen to No. 15 in the official world golf rankings, his lowest rank since 2009.

Thus, in March, the winner of 27 titles worldwide, including 18 on the PGA Tour, brought noted swing coach Pete Cowen on board while staying with longtime coach Michael Bannon to help him sort through issues.

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“I feel better about my game than I did flying home from Augusta on Friday night, put it that way,” McIlroy said Wednesday at Quail Hollow, home to the Wells Fargo Championship. “I’ve worked a little bit on it, sort of just tried to understand what I do well. I guess trying to sort of focus on my strengths.

“I think I’ve neglected my strengths a little bit the past couple of months and focusing more on those and focusing on what makes me a good golfer and how I swing the club and how I move the club. It’s just understanding my move a little bit more. So that’s sort of what I’ve been trying to do the last couple weeks.

“It feels good. It’s all familiar feelings.”

McIlroy is in a great spot to end his winless stretch. He won his first PGA Tour title in the 2010 Wells Fargo Championship and became the only two-time winner of the event in 2015, when he shot 61-69 on the weekend to win by seven shots. He also lost in a playoff in 2012 and has seven top-10s overall in nine starts.

“I’ve always liked coming back to Charlotte,” McIlroy said. “Hopefully that gives me a little bit of good mojo going into the week.”

Because of COVID-19 travel restrictions, McIlroy wasn’t able to spend enough time with Bannon, who is based in Northern Ireland, and when they did meet up, they rushed through practice sessions and worked on too many things.

Cowen is in the U.S. on a regular basis.

“Bringing Pete into the equation is a change, but it’s a familiar one,” McIlroy said. “It’s not as if it’s the first time Pete and I have really worked together. I’ve known Pete for a long, long time. But again, it’s just getting a slight, different opinion. Just getting someone’s opinion from the outside looking in can be a good thing. That’s really what Pete has been.

“I keep using this word ‘understanding,’ but it really is just me trying to understand my swing better and understand what I do well and focusing on that. My body movement and how I turn through the ball is probably one of my biggest attributes and neglected that a little bit by focusing on some other stuff.”

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Webb Simpson hopes to find comfort at home at Wells Fargo Championship

Webb Simpson is hoping to find some comfort at home this week at the PGA Tour’s Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Webb Simpson is playing a home game this week.

Or is he?

Yes, the world No. 9 lives by the seventh tee at Quail Hollow, home to this week’s Wells Fargo Championship. And he is a member at Quail Hollow. Yet Simpson said the course he’ll tackle starting Thursday is almost foreign to him.

“I think people assume like if it’s your home course, you should play well. I think what people don’t realize is the golf course I’m going to play this week is very different than the course I played most of the year,” Simpson said Tuesday.

For instance, during practice rounds last week, he hit four tee shots on most every hole because his sight lines will be different considering the course will play much firmer and faster than the other 51 weeks of the year.

“I relearn the course a little bit every year,” Simpson said. “I think I have a tiny advantage. I think guys do such a great job in their prep work here Tuesday, Wednesday to get ready that there’s not really such thing as local knowledge.

“And especially I don’t play here a ton. This is my home track, but it’s not like I’m busting 100 rounds a year. I’m probably playing once a month. There’s expectation that I should play well because it’s my home course, but it’s hard. It’s a hard golf course. I’ve still got to go out and hit the shots, make the putts.”

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In 10 starts at Quail Hollow, Simpson has just two top 10s – a tie for second in 2015 and a fourth-place finish in 2012. He’s missed the cut four times.

“I haven’t had great results here,” Simpson said. “The one year I finished second, Rory (McIlroy) went nuts on the weekend, kicked everybody’s tail. I would love more opportunities to win. I don’t think it’s really anything I’m doing wrong; it’s just I’ve got to give myself chances to win on Sunday that I haven’t really done in the past few years.”

He could say the same about his season, too. While he has five top 10s in 13 starts – his most recent coming at the RBC Heritage, where he finished in a tie for ninth in his most recent start – he hasn’t been overly pleased with his play since winning his seventh PGA Tour title in last year’s RBC Heritage.

But the winner of the 2012 U.S. Open and 2018 Players Championship said he felt he turned the corner in the Masters last month, where he tied for 12^th.

“I feel like it’s been a bit up and down since last fall, but I feel like we had a little turn at Augusta on the weekend,” he said. “Changed a little something in my golf swing and hit it great for four days at RBC Heritage.

“Confidence‑wise, I’m more confident than I’ve been all season, but still looking to have a couple higher finishes, have a few more chances to win Sunday. I think I’ve only had one or two chances this year to win and that’s what it’s all about. That’s what I think made last year so special is I had plenty of chances to win Sunday, and eventually you’re going to get it done.”

He’d love nothing more than to get it done here.

“This is kind of the one tournament for me that I want to win more than any other maybe besides the other majors,” he said. “I love being here for the obvious reasons. It was Sunday night and I was getting in my bed and I’m like, man, it’s nice to not be staring at a suitcase across the room, leaving this week to get on an airplane. So I look forward to this week every year.

“I’ve had two weeks off, so I feel like I’ve got a lot of good work done around here. The golf course hadn’t been too crowded. I love competing here. It’s hard, it’s a hard golf course. Super challenging all week, but super nice to have support from Charlotte, friends and family. I’m looking forward to Thursday getting it going.”

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PGA of America announces host for 2025 PGA Championship

The 2025 PGA Championship will be hosted by Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, the PGA of America announced Thursday.

The PGA of America announced Thursday Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, will serve as host for the 2025 PGA Championship.

Quail Hollow previously hosted the PGA Championship in 2017 when Justin Thomas defeated Francesco Molinari, Louis Oosthuizen and Patrick Reed by two shots to win his first major championship.

Quail Hollow also hosts the Wells Fargo Championship. This year’s event, previously scheduled for April 30-May 3, was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“The PGA of America is proud to return the PGA Championship to Quail Hollow and the wonderful host city of Charlotte,” PGA of America President Suzy Whaley said in a statement. “Quail Hollow’s course has a well-earned reputation as a stern test for the world’s finest players, but what sets the club apart is its membership and the welcoming atmosphere that they promote. The state of North Carolina’s appreciation for the game and major championship golf is remarkable.”

Quail Hollow is also scheduled to host the 2021 Presidents Cup Sept. 30-Oct. 3, 2021.

The news follows the PGA of America’s announcement from Tuesday that Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, will host the PGA Championship in 2030. Southern Hills hosted the PGA Championship four previous times in 1970, 1982, 1994 and 2007.

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Rory McIlroy burst onto world golf scene 10 years ago with stunning 62

Rory McIlroy won on the PGA Tour for the first time on May 2, 2010, with closing 62 at Quail Hollow Championship, outlasting Phil Mickelson.

It seems a lot longer than 10 years that Rory McIlroy has been a major player on golf’s world stage. He was a star junior in Northern Ireland and won his first professional event at the 2009 Dubai Desert Classic, and he almost won the European Tour’s Order of Merit that same year and climbed to No. 13 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

But most American golf fans got their first good look at the then-20-year-old’s firepower at the 2010 Quail Hollow Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina. That event is now the Wells Fargo Championship, but the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of this year’s event. It’s a perfect time to reflect on one of the greatest closing rounds ever on Tour, as this week marks the 10-year anniversary since McIlroy burst into golf’s global consciousness with a closing round for the ages.

McIlroy wrapped up that final round on May 2, 2010, with six consecutive threes to post a 10-under 62 that leapfrogged the likes of Phil Mickelson, Angel Cabrera, Dustin Johnson, Davis Love III and third-round leader Billy Mayfair. His Sunday tally included eight birdies and an eagle on the par-5 15^th.

“It was my second professional win and my first on the PGA Tour, so it will always be a special memory for me,” McIlroy, who turns 31 on May 4, told Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch this week from his home in Jupiter, Florida, where he has remained since the cancellation of his title defense at the Players Championship in March. “I wish we could have been back at Quail Hollow this week but there are obviously more important things we all need to focus on right now.”

Observers were somewhat stunned after McIlroy played the final two rounds over a difficult Tour track in 16 under. He finished the week at 15-under 273.

“Astonishing,” CBS’ David Feherty told Jim McCabe, then a Golfweek Tour reporter, after the round. “Just to have the guts, … and yes, that does remind you of somebody.”

The somebody Feherty referenced was Tiger Woods, who shot 74-79 that week to miss the cut. McIlroy has since had many Tiger-like moments, including victories at four majors (2011 U.S. Open, 2012 and ’14 PGA Championships, 2014 Open Championship). McIlroy has racked up 18 PGA Tour Titles, nine international victories and is No. 1 in the world after winning three Tour events in 2019 and the 2020 WGC-HSBC Champions.

But that week at Quail Hollow didn’t start with such a bang. Coming off back-to-back missed cuts at the Shell Houston Open and the Masters, McIlroy opened with a 72 and was outside the cutline through 15 holes in his second round, which began on the back nine.

Playing in the third-to-last group with almost no gallery, McIlroy had 206 yards for his second shot into the par-5 seventh with water guarding the green on the right.

Rory McIlroy hits his tee shot on the 17th hole during the first round of the 2010 Quail Hollow Championship. His first two rounds showed little of the promise of the final two. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

His long-iron approach started an amazing turnaround.

“I cut a 4-iron,” McIlroy said of that second-round shot after winning the event. “But I pushed it a little bit.”

J.P. Fitzgerald, then McIlroy’s caddie, disagreed: “He didn’t push it. He knew where he had to hit it. It was a wonderful moment.”

McIlroy’s ball ended up 6 feet from the hole, he canned the eagle putt and the floodgates opened. He made the cut on the number at 1 over, shot a 6-under 66 in the third round and closed with that course-record 62. The final six holes of that round included two pars on par 3s, three birdies on par 4s and an eagle on the par-5 16^thafter his second shot stopped 4 feet from the hole. He capped it all with a 43-foot birdie putt on No. 18.

It all started with that eagle on Friday.

“I had missed two cuts in a row before Quail Hollow, at Houston and the Masters, and on Friday I was two shots outside the cut line with three holes to play, so things didn’t look great!” McIlroy remembered this week. “On (his) 16th I hit my best shot all year – a 4-iron from 206 yards over water. I made eagle, made the cut on the number, then went 66-62 over the weekend.”

Rory McIlroy shakes hands with Anthony Kim after the final round of the Quail Hollow Championship on May 2, 2010. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

McIlroy played that final round with Anthony Kim, another promising youngster who nabbed three PGA Tour titles before injuring a wrist and thumb and then vanishing from the Tour – and largely from public sight – in 2012.

The 62 came two days before McIlroy’s 21^stbirthday. How did he celebrate? Having not so much as a single celebratory cocktail, he watched TV at a local Del Frisco’s steakhouse as Floyd Mayweather Jr. scored a unanimous decision over Manny Pacquiao.

It hasn’t always been that easy since for McIlroy, who has had a few dry spells, as all golfers do whatever their talent level. But that week was a realization of enormous potential and overpowering talent that still is being revealed 10 years later.

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